They intercepted the freighter using rigid inflatable speedboats just after midnight as the ship sped up the River Medway towards Kingsnorth, then attached climbing ladders to the vessel and scaled the 15 metre hull. Three teams comprising nine people succeeded in boarding the ship. They then scaled the ship’s huge funnel and the towering foremast to stop the ship from unloading.

The ship is now docked at the Kingsnorth quayside, but no coal has yet been unloaded. The intention is to delay the offloading of the coal cargo for as long as possible. Police are on the scene and have already made six arrests, but we still have four volunteers aboard with enough food and water to stay for several days, if necessary.”

Talk about direct action! This is certainly a brave thing for them to be doing. Let’s hope it raises some people’s awareness.

Update: The standoff has now ended after the four volunteers still on board were served with an injunction.